Midori
by DJ Xtreme
Summary: When Unit-01 takes Shinji into itself, the Third Child is in for a big surprise. Shinji/Unit-01 pairing.


Standard disclaimer in effect.

"Quote"

'Thought'

**Midori**

"Ugh, what the hell?" Shinji Ikari opened his eyes and quickly shut them; it was apparently too bright right now for them to handle. Putting one hand in front of them as a makeshift shade, he opened his eyes again and immediately widened them as soon as he realized the condition he was in.

He sat up swiftly, "Where…where am I? What is this place?"

The Third Child found himself in the middle of a healthy meadow. The colour of the sky currently is a perfect blue, with white, puffy clouds dancing in the warm breeze. Judging the position of the sun, Shinji reckoned it was around two-thirty in the afternoon. Off the horizon he spotted snowy mountains rising from the ground like a row of sharp teeth. In the opposite direction, Shinji could hear sounds of water crashing and smashing against rocks.

"The last thing I could remember was rage beyond anything I've ever experienced. Rage directed at the angel, who was hurting everyone," Shinji rubbed his temple to get his brain working.

"The best explanation I can give is…We're inside my mind," a voice explained.

Shocked, Shinji quickly turned to the source of the voice, which led his attention to...her.

The first thing that greeted him was a pair of emerald eyes staring back at him. In them, he could see relief, happiness, and…desire?

Wild mane of green hair flowed down past her shoulder blades, with a pair of sidelocks plummeting down past her chin. In addition to a pretty face, the vision of loveliness also possessed a figure of…

Shinji quickly turn his head around, a heavy blush blossoming on his face and blood vessels in his nose threatening to burst. He immediately realized that both he and she were as naked as the day they were born. He contemplated whether to jump into the sea in order to extinguish the burning feeling coursing throughout his entire body right now.

"Umm, please don't be like that, you're making me blush." Shinji shifted his head a bit and from his peripheral vision, he noted the green-haired girl looking away from him with a rosy hue on her cheeks, increasing her overall cuteness factor significantly.

"Oh, err, so, um, could…could you…tell me what this place is?" Shinji managed to choke out his question, a great feat considering the fact that he was being in the presence of a beautiful female, sans clothing. For some reason, he was reminded of that time when he went to deliver Rei's new ID, but only this time, it was both parties who bared it all.

The girl looked back at him, seeming serious if it were not for the fact that the blush was still stuck on her cheeks. "As I said before, we're both in my mind. I managed to pull you to here for safety before I destroyed the Angel. As always your health and well-being are my top concerns," she told him.

Shinji gawked at her, "Wait…wait, you destroyed the Angel?! But you…you can't be…"

His unfinished question was returned with a nod, "Yes, I am Eva Unit One, or rather, an avatar of the construct that you pilot to fight Angels."

'No way, the person standing in front me is the Eva? The very same Eva that stands as tall as the tallest buildings in Tokyo-3?' Sweat began pouring from every pore of Shinji's body.

The girl paused for a short interval before continuing, "I have been waiting so long for this."

This apparently threw a wrench at Shinji's internal motors, "Huh? Why?"

The girl's blushes deepened into a nice shade of red before blurting out, "I…ILOVEYOUWITHALLMYHEARTANDWISHTOBEONEWITHYOU!"

"Huh?" Shinji could only stare stupidly at the girl.

The girl took several breaths, calming her tense body down before repeating, "I… love you with all my heart… and I wish to be… one with you." The last part caused the shade of her blush to plummet even deeper.

Shinji's eyes popped out and his jaws dropped to the ground with a loud thud. It was not everyday that you see a forty-storey tall, semi-self-aware, and man-made construct declaring its love to you. Shinji thought she was pulling his leg or something; however, the look on her face suggested otherwise.

"You…you're kidding, right?" Seeing her shaking her head, Shinji continued in a harsher tone, "You're lying! How can you love me?! You and I don't even know each other! Hell, you're just a machine! This is just some joke…" He finally broke down.

Seeing him like this pained her own heart. She cried out, "I am not lying; I do love you, ever since you came to Tokyo-3…" her tone quieted down, "And I do know you; after all, your… mother told me all about you since the day of her accident…"

Shinji's head shot up immediately as soon as the last part came out of her mouth, giving the girl his completely undivided attention, "What…what are you talking about? What does my mother have to do with this?" All of the nervousness his body had generated immediately evaporated as soon his mother was mentioned.

She paused for a moment, pondering about what to tell him, before replying, "Your mother came here during the failed activation of my body ten years ago. Right now, she is out there somewhere." She made a waving gesture with her right hand in the direction of the mountain range.

"Okay…but I have a question. Do you know what is the cause of my mother's accident?" Shinji asked, hoping to shed some light on this mystery.

The green-eyed beauty pressed her chin with her index finger, a gesture that Shinji noted as cute, and pondered, "Honestly, I have no idea. I wasn't fully aware of the situation when all of this took place. It could be equipment failure, or maybe some parts of my body had some kinks which needed to be ironed out. However, I have tried to reverse this, but all of the attempts ended in failure. I'm very sorry." **(1)** Her head tilted down to avoid his gaze.

"Oh, I…see…Well, thank you very much. At least I know that she did not ditch me like my father," said Shinji with a slight smile on his face.

"Oh no, she wouldn't, or at least, is not the type of person who would abandon her own flesh-and-blood. From our limited contacts, she would always talk about you - How you have a 

pure, gentle soul and wouldn't hurt a fly. She told me that she wanted to see her son grow up into a fine man, graduate from a well-respected university with a sense of direction for the rest of his life, get married and have a brood of grandchildren for her to spoil. She also told me that no matter what happens, she'll always be there for you," the girl told him.

Shinji could not help but blush at all of this, especially the part with getting married and having kids. Sure it made him very happy that his mother would say this, but this was just too much! "Thank you so much. It makes me very happy to hear all this," tears of happiness flooded his eyes before flowing down his cheeks.

The pretty girl smiled at him, "When she told me all these, I knew I just had to be your pillar of support. It seemed my wish came true when that Katsuragi and Akagi women brought you to the hanger where my body resided during the Third Angel's assault. When pieces of the ceiling fell down on you and that Ayanami girl, I immediately brought my arm up to shield you two from the debris without any hesitation."

She took a deep breath before continuing, "You don't know how happy I was when you accepted to piloting me. I was looking forward to destroying the Angel with you, but when I saw you in pain from receiving the feedback of the wound inflicted on me by the beam lance, rage boiled inside me, forcing me to snap and decimate that monster."

Shinji's eyes widened in surprise, "Wait a sec, I thought that was my mother's doing!"

The girl shook her head in earnest, "No that was me. Your mother was… merely a spectator inside me. She had no control over me, nor does she have any form of influence over my thoughts. Anyway, the same thing could be said when the Twelfth Angel swallowed us up. The thought of you dying a slow death after the power ran out hurt my heart greatly and drives up my rage for the second time, giving me the necessary strength to rip open the Angel a hole big enough to escape and kill it, killing two birds with one stone."

"I…don't know what to say, but I can't thank you enough," said Shinji.

"It's all right. As I said before, your health and well-being are my top priorities. My feelings for you have not changed; in fact, they are stronger than ever now." Shinji noticed the longing within her reply and decided to give her his own reply.

"Ah, about that, I don't know if I can…" Shinji trailed off.

The girl looked disappointed at this. "I…see that you still care for both Ayanami and Soryu. Tell me, what makes them so special? No offence to either of them, but they don't seem to care for you. Ayanami follows her orders from your father right down to the letter, and she doesn't seem to show any interest in you, nor anyone else. Soryu, on the other hand, treats you more like a dog and acts like a spoiled brat," she shouted out and quickly covered her mouth when she realized her mistake.

"You're wrong! They do care for me, but they just have a hard time showing it because of their upbringing. Like you, Rei-san wouldn't let anything harm me. And if Asuka truly dislikes me, then she wouldn't have partnered with me in the synchronization exercise for the Seventh Angel," Shinji shouted back with equal force.

The green girl shrank back a bit, looking slight away from Shinji, and apologized, "I'm terribly sorry; I shouldn't have said that. That was over the line. Please forgive me." She bowed in shame.

To her surprise, Shinji returned her bow with his own. "It's ok; I shouldn't have lost my temper as well. I'm very sorry too. They may not look like it, but not only are they my teammates, they're also my friends," he admitted.

The girl rewarded him with a smile, "Your mother was right; you do have a gentle and pure heart. You stood up for them, even when you three aren't exactly close."

"Thank…thanks…for the compliment…" Shinji trailed off as bright light came from the direction of the sea, prompting him to turn towards it, "What the? It's so bright, like a second sun rising out of the horizon." He brought one hand to his forehead to reduce the glare.

Right beside him, the emerald beauty stared off in the same direction, her mouth turned up in a frown, "It seems that your friends want you to return. To do so, you just need to swim towards it, and you will eventually come to the material world."

"…Before I do that, about what you said before…" Shinji turned towards her.

"Huh, whatmmmmmph…" Her eyes widened as the sloppy kiss had caught her off completely. However, closing her eyes she greedily accepted it, while wrapping her arms around the boy's back for support. She darted her tongue into his mouth and before they knew it, a tongue wrestling match took place inside their mouths.

When they broke off the kiss, the boy and the girl stared each other in amazement. "Wow, it feels… I just can't describe it… So this is what a kiss feels like," Shinji gasped.

The girl arched an eyebrow. "You never kissed before?"

Shinji chuckled weakly while scratching the back of his head, "Well there's this time back in NERV during the blackout…" Shinji then explained about how he and Asuka went to look for both Misato and Kaji in the dark, and then Asuka suggested that they should kiss. Needless to say, it was very embarrassing when the elevator door with Misato and Kaji behind it opened right beside the two teens, their lips almost touching each other.

The girl shook her head at the absurdity of all. "So…does…that mean…you'll accept…my love?" she whispered, a blush crawling up her cheeks.

Shinji quickly rolled his eyes to one side while flushing furiously. "Err, well, I wouldn't mind giving this a shot. But we'll have to do this secretly, I don't want to have the entire NERV after us," he blurted out. He definitely did not want people to find out, especially Misato, Asuka, and Gendo. Misato would use this as some kind of blackmail material and tease him like there is no tomorrow, while Asuka would call him a pervert or some kind of machine fetishist. The Third Child shuddered at the thought of being called such. And he did not want to know whatever his father has in store for him.

She chuckled at Shinji's antics, "I understand. This requires some subtlety." She then gave her new lover a small peck on the lips.

"Midori."

"Ehh?" The girl arched an eyebrow and tilted her head to one side in confusion.

"Midori. Your hair and eyes, they're both the colour of emerald-green. So your name will be 'Midori'. I mean…I can't just call you 'hey you' or 'Eva' or 'Unit-01'," Shinji explained with a grin on his face.

"Midori…I like it," the newly dubbed 'Midori' lunged forward and wrapped Shinji in a bear-hug, "Thank you so much. This is the greatest present I've ever received. Err, actually, the first one, haha. The others will be jealous." The last part came out with a glee.

"Others?" Shinji asked.

Midori broke off the hug and explained, "Units 00 and 02. I've managed to make a limited form of communication with them."

Shinji's interest rose. "Really, could tell me about them?" he asked with hint of excitement in his voice.

The green girl grinned mischievously, "Why Shinji Ikari, are you planning to cheat on me right now, hmm?"

Shinji sputtered, his entire body practically glowing red, "What, of course not! I just want to know more about them, since they're also our teammates."

Midori expression turned thoughtful, "So far from what I have seen, they are similar to the First and Second Children. Unit-00 doesn't talk much except for grunting out 'yes' or 'no' and things like 'don't know, don't care'. Unit-02, on the other hand, is quite loud and, like me, constantly worries over the Second Child's well-being."

Shinji snorted at Unit-02's antics. It is pretty ironic that Unit-02 keeps fussing over Asuka like a Mother Duck, while red-haired German girl treats it as nothing more than a tool, just like Gendo.

"Hmm I should get going. I don't want to keep everyone waiting," said Shinji.

Midori nodded in response and held the Third Child's hands tenderly, "I understand; they need you more than I need you right now. More Angels will come to NERV in the future. Shinji… kun, when they come, please take what you need from me. Because when you die, I die. You…and I are…one." **(2)** With that, she gave him one last kiss, which was much more intimate than before.

As soon as the two lovers broke the sensual kiss, Shinji turned around and walked towards the beach, his eyes never leaving Midori as he slid into the saltwater. He turned away when he was neck-deep in the sea and began paddling away into bright, golden light.

'Midori Ikari…That sounds…wonderful…' was the last thought of the emerald-eyed girl as she stared at the dot swimming off into the horizon.

_Somewhere so close… yet so far away:_

"Give Shinji back, you monster! Give him back!" Misato kneeled on the bridge in front of the gigantic body of the purple Eva while tears of pain and despair came gushing out. She tightly held onto pieces of clothing that Shinji wore when he stepped into the Entry Plug during the attack of the Fourteenth in her chest.

"Dammit, Shinji…Shinji…he doesn't deserve shits like this! He's already been through hell several times," Misato continued sobbing.

Up in the control centre, a gloom flew over the heads of the crew in the Retrieval Project. While they knew the chance of success for this operation is a near-zero low, they couldn't help but feel sorry for the young Ikari. He never had asked much yet shit of all kinds kept drawing to him just as moths drew to any sources of light.

A series of beeps caused everyone to turn to Maya, whose console started making noises. The young tech began typing at an incredible speed. Ritsuko walked swiftly to her chair.

"Maya, give a report on the current condition," ordered Ritsuko as she peered over the young lieutenant's shoulders at the screen.

"Anomaly detected within the Eva's core!" Maya shouted back as she furiously continued typing the keyboard.

Suddenly the noise died down and a splash brought everyone's attention down to the front of the Eva. A naked 14-year-old boy laid facedown a metre or two from where the Eva's core was situated. The kid managed to get onto his feet and putting one hand on his temple, he shook his head to get rid of the plaguing headache.

Another series of beeps alerted the crew, causing them to turn heads to Maya, who frantically switched back to her computer and reported in shock, "I'm detecting signs of activity within Unit-01!" The rest of the technicians paled and wondered what the hell was going on.

An intrigued expression pasted itself on the cold visage of Gendo Ikari, who had been silent during the entire operation up until now. He stood up and walked over to the window to look at the scene down below.

"Watch out Shinji!" Down on the bridge, Misato screamed at Shinji who turned to the mecha in confusion.

The massive purple Eva tilted its head down, eyes zoning in on the Third Child. It brought up a hand with its pinky extended and brushed, almost gently, against his cheek. To everyone else's surprise, instead of shrinking back and crying out in fear, Shinji responded by calmly wrapping his left arm around the giant's finger, eyes closing as if enjoying the sensation.

While everyone stared in shock and amazement, Misato croaked out, "Shinji, wha…what's going on?"

"Huh? Oh nothing special, Misato. It's good to see you," Shinji replied, staring at the Eva's while the rest of his body stayed the way it is.

He gave a small smile at the construct and thought, 'Someday…we will be truly be together, Midori-chan.'

**The End… For Now…**

**(1) **Just use your imagination. Oh hell, let's just blame it on Gendo; we don't even know what goes on inside that noggin' of his.

**(2) **Ripped the last line from Busou Renkin. Yeah yeah, I was lazy, 'k?

Author's Rant:

Ok so yeah, this is my attempt at a romance fic. Believe it or not, this one-shot is actually a piece that I have planned to incorporate into one of my other stories. As it stands right now, it is nothing more than a prototype just to see how well I can write romance. Expect this to be totally redone when I do add it into the other story.

I know the pairing is weird and, in one case, disturbing, but if gunman can pull off a Shinji/Magi pairing rather successfully, then why can't I pull of a Shinji/Unit-01 pairing? Hell, I even have plans for both Unit-00 and 02 (Not like that, you hentais o.o).

This story was inspired partly from this one scene in the manga, where Unit-01's angelic side wants to be one with Shinji, and partly from Evangelion ½, a Ranma/Eva crossover written by SJiriki. I don't expect you to find it, since the author has quit writing a couple of years ago.

Ok, here's a mini-FAQ of some sorts just in case you have some things to ask:

1. Q: What story are you incorporating this into?

A: Well… that… is a secret! If you really want to know, check my profile and make a guess.

2. Q: Why did you pair Shinji with Unit-01? That's like pairing him up with Yui, you sicko!

A: Chances are if you ask this, then you probably didn't read the entire thing. While Yui is responsible for Unit-01's affections for Shinji, she does not show up in this fic. Besides, Unit-01 is treated as its own character here.

3. Q: Unit-01's armour is purple, so why not give Midori purple hair?

A: That will make her as some sort of Misato-clone. And we all know that one Misato, emotionally or not, is more than enough for Shinji. ;p

4. Q: I love it! Do you have any plans on making a sequel for this?

A: Well, it did say "The End… For Now…", so only time will tell. But I do have ideas…

5. Q: This romance is soooooooo cheeeeeesy!

A: Well this is my first time writing a romance, so cut me some slack!!

6. Q: Man, you suck; Midori is so Mary-Sueish.

A: Well if you consider personification of something as an OC...Well, that's your opinion.

7. Q: But Evas are genderless, you idiot!

A: So? I don't ever recall anything regarding what gender the Evas are in the anime or the manga. If you want to write a yaoi featuring a male personification of Unit-01, go right ahead.

8. Q: DJ Xtreme, your English sucks, LOLZ.

A: Well, I'm sorry if I didn't live up to your standards. I'm not a native English speaker. In fact, this fic is written by someone who got a C in his English class in high school.

Thanks to my sister for proofreading and anyone who read this story!


End file.
